In hydraulically driven devices, it has become more and more common to provide remote directional control of the devices in order to increase productivity, provide more economical and precision operation and reduce material and costs. It is common to utilize various remote controls such as cables, cams, mechanical linkages, pilot valves, and on/off solenoid operated valves. Each of these control methods has disadvantages. For example, flexible cables and linkages are heavy and cumbersome, cams are expensive to generate, and pilot valves require extra piping and valving. Solenoids which are of the on/off type do not provide good metering.
It is known to use force motors or proportional actuators in connection with electronic control circuitry to overcome some of the above noted problems. Force motors or proportional actuators, such as servo solenoids, have an armature or plunger which is placed in contact with the spool of a directional valve.
The plunger stroke includes an approach zone and a control zone. The control zone is the segment of the stroke that can be proportionally controlled and the null position of the plunger is set to coincide with the start of the control zone segment of the plunger stroke.
The stroke of the plunger and therefore that of the valve spool is proportional to the input current of the solenoid. Merely increasing or decreasing the input current enables positioning of the plunger and, in turn, the spool at any point along its stroke to control the fluid flow through the directional valve.
It is also known to use feedback devices, such as a linear variable differential transformer, commonly known as an LVDT, is incorporated in a servo solenoid when increased accuracy and repeatability is desired. The LVDT monitors the armature position. The electronic circuitry compares the input signal with the feedback signal of the LVDT and eliminates any error signal between the two. Thus, by monitoring the armature position, the spool position is known for a given input signal to the solenoid and the spool position is always the same with regard to that input signal. This allows for repeatibility of the spool position in comparison to the electrical input signal to the solenoid.
Servo solenoids of the type discussed above are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,324 and in Catalog No. SS-1104 dated October, 1979, published by Ledex Inc. of Vandalia, Ohio, United States.
However, the above discussed servo solenoid controlled valves are limited in the amount of fluid that can be controlled for a given solenoid size and the servo solenoid and valve must be designed for a particular size hydraulic system. Where dynamic flow and spring forces acting of the valve spool exceed the force limitation of the servo solenoid, the valve can not be controlled by a servo solenoid, and servo solenoid controlled pilot valves are required. Also it has been difficult to provide for an adjustable flow gain without the use of special structures, spool metering grooves, and shims. Additionally, repeatability of the position of the valve spool requires accurate positioning of the null position of the spool, that is, the overlap between spool lands to the openings of ports leading into the spool bore and also the null positioning of the plunger in relation to the start of the control zone segment of the armature stroke. The latter is especially critical with the use of an LVDT. The setting of the null position has in the past been accomplished, at some inconvenience, by the use of shims.
Among the objectives of the present invention are to provide a variable gain controlled directional valve and particularly a servo solenoid operated valve which has variable flow gain, permits positioning of the control member or spool without shims or special machining, reduces the number of parts required to provide design variation, and has low hysteresis.
In accordance with the invention, the variable gain servo controlled directional valve comprises a valve body having an elongated bore, a sleeve in the bore, a spool mounted for reciprocating movement in the sleeve and a force motor for reciprocating the spool. The valve body has an inlet pressure port and outlet pressure ports connected to inlet and outlet chambers, and the sleeve has passages permitting flow from the inlet chamber to the interior of the sleeve. The spool controls the flow through the sleeve and is movable from a null position to selective positions permitting flow to the outlet chambers of the body. The sleeve includes a bypass channel whereby upon shifting movement of the sleeve relative to the body, the sleeve will permit increased fluid flow from the inlet chamber of the body directly to one or the other of the outlet chambers without affecting the dynamic flow and spring forces acting on the spool. Means are operable upon shifting of the spool to initially permit fluid flow through the sleeve under the control of the spool to one of the outlet chambers in the body and upon continued movement of the spool to cause the sleeve to be moved axially so additional fluid will flow from the inlet chamber in the body to the selected outlet chamber in the body.